Arkheron, developed by former Blizzard CCO Rob Pardo’s studio, has unveiled a new trailer, showing off the game’s combat and gameplay loop, which immediately had me hooked. Combining elements of various genres like battle royale, looter-shooters, ARPGs, and MOBAs, Arkheron is shaping up to be a mighty fine game.
Battle royale has long been defined by guns, a massive map, and an “every man for himself” type of gameplay. Ever since the eponymous book and movie came out near the end of the previous century, this core identity has been cemented and only ever slightly changed by the likes of PUBG, Fortnite, Hunt: Showdown, and the like.
Recently, we’ve been seeing a wave of new takes on the genre, with varying success, but this upcoming title from Blizzard’s former executive Rob Pardo could be a major step up.
Arkheron takes liberally from a host of genres and conventions to craft a unique experience, one where modular gameplay and the resulting replay value take center stage. Fifteen teams of three players each battle each other and AI-controlled monsters while ascending a mysterious Tower, collecting loot and items to combine them in real time, fundamentally changing their character’s identity.
With this ARPG looter element, Arkheron adds a huge new layer to the battle royale formula, aside from making the game a dark fantasy rather than a military shooter, which we’ve come to expect of the genre. Spells, melee magic weapons, and strange abilities replace AR-15s, guns, and contemporary army doctrines, while a top-down isometric perspective elevates strategy, much in line with what MOBAs do.
The core of this formula is the Relics, which you can pick up while you play, either as parts of unique sets or various mixes that you make entirely your own. Picking up four Relics from the same set lets you transform into an Eternal, but you are locked into that particular playstyle for the rest of the game. Alternatively, you can take items from different sets and create a new build that you can shift away from if you find something else.
Real-time dynamics are the name of the game here, and though loot has been a fundamental part of battle royales for years now, I haven’t seen anything to this extent. PUBG and Fortnite can shift and change depending on the gun you have, but you can theoretically win by just hiding in a corner of the map or by just outplaying the enemy with a handgun. Warzone‘s weapon loot is just a preference, and Hunt: Showdown lets you take your whole loadout with you, making loot non-existent.
Here, though, everything can change in the midst of battle, and you are forced to clash with other players and engage in PvE against NPCs to progress, as only one team can emerge victorious—and only by reaching the top of the Tower.
And from what I could gather in the trailers, the combat seems very weighted, flashy, and visceral, with skill playing as much of a role as the build you’ve crafted. And since you’re never really locked to one build, course correction is very much allowed and in real-time, making Arkheron‘s core gameplay loop very different from most BRs, and a breath of fresh air in general.
The game runs playtests every now and again, and I know for sure that I’ll be hopping on. There’s one planned for this next weekend, so, if you’re as hyped up as I am, do get yourself signed up, and perhaps we’ll meet on the floors of the Tower, testing our mettle, skill, and Relic builds.
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